Onychiol B attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation via MAPK/NF-KB pathways and acute lung injury in vivo

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a devastating respiratory disorder characterized by rapid alveolar injury, uncontrolled inflammatory response, etc. Onychiol B is a cyathane diterpene originally isolated from fern plants. In this study, onychiol B can inhibit the production and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as NO, iNOS, IL-6 and TNF-alpha in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells by restraining the NF-KB and the p38 MAPK pathway. In addition, it prevents the production of ROS and reduces the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Furthermore, in the acute lung injury mouse model induced by LPS injected into the trachea, onychiol B alleviates pulmonary edema, reverses inflammatory mediator TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-beta secretion in lung. In general, our data show that significant anti-ALI effects of onychiol B would render it a potential candidate for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.